Caffeinated Thoughts

Vanity Fair’s Todd Purdum likes anonymity because then we can begin to assess motives.  In all of the 9,000 words plus he used to trash Alaska Governor Sarah Palin he forgot a few things (besides facts) like interviewing Governor Palin, as well as, Fred Malek (who was heavily involved with the campaign), Rick Davis (the campaign manager) or Senator John McCain himself.

Go figure.  That would require actual journalism skills.  I guess it’s a good thing he’s writing for Vanity Fair, I’d hate for anyone to accuse him of having some.

Fred Malek writes on his blog today:

To summarize baseball legend Reggie Jackson: nobody boos a nobody. That is definitely true in the case of Governor Sarah Palin. I don’t think I am going out on a limb here when I speculate that individuals who repeatedly attack her anonymously view her as a threat. And that includes members of the media hell-bent tearing down young Republican up-and-comers as well as some in Governor Palin’s own party — a party desperately in need of redefining — who are motivated, for whatever reason, to try and crush their rivals.

The most recent and grossly unfair attack came from Vanity Fair magazine. The writer clearly had an unshakable point of view from the start and talked only to those who would criticize. For example, he personally asked me at event preceding the White House Correspondents Dinner if I would talk to him about Governor Palin. I agreed. He didn’t call. He didn’t email. He never once tried to get my take. I also know he never contacted campaign manager Rick Davis, or John McCain.

I have known many political leaders over four decades including all Republican presidents and VPs. I have come to know Sarah Palin over the past year and can state unequivocally that she is smart, curious, hard working, charming, and effective. She also has something her detractors clearly lack – a sense of honor and loyalty. (emphasis mine)

(Read the whole thing.)

I guess if you are Purdum, the only credible sources are the anonymous ones.

President Obama must be wearing out his welcome with the media.  CBS’s Chip Reid and AP White House correspondent, Helen Thomas (who has been covering Presidents for longer than I have been alive) lowered the boom on Robert Gibbs yesterday regarding how questions are chosen during Obama “townhall” meetings.

HT: Stop the ACLU

CNSNews.com caught up with Thomas after the press conference, and she gave a further smack down (warning, some salty language):

Thomas told CNSNews.com that not even Richard Nixon tried to control the press the way President Obama is trying to control the press.

“Nixon didn’t try to do that,” Thomas said. “They couldn’t control (the media). They didn’t try.

“What the hell do they think we are, puppets?” Thomas said. “They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them.”

Thomas said she was especially concerned about the arrangement between the Obama Administration and a writer from the liberal Huffington Post Web site. The writer was invited by the White House to President Obama’s press conference last week on the understanding that he would ask Obama a question about Iran from among questions that had been sent to him by people in Iran.

“When you call the reporter the night before you know damn well what they are going to ask to control you,” Thomas said.

“I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well–for the town halls, for the press conferences,” she said. “It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.” (link above added by me)

I’m amazed that Reid questioned this, and that Thomas backed him up.  It isn’t like she is a friend to conservatives.  It’s about time, but really too little, too late.

It seems as though they were mainly concerned about the process, not whether President Obama knows the question before hand or not.  Why would it matter?  It isn’t as though the Obama Administration is worried about what people think about his healthcare initiative.  Right?

Uber HT: Memeorandum

1. Compass News Direct: Somalia – Islamists Behind Two Sons of Christian Leader

Islamic extremists have beheaded two young boys in Somalia because their Christian father refused to divulge information about a church leader, and the killers are searching Kenya’s refugee camps to do the same to the boys’ father.

Before taking his Somali family to a Kenyan refugee camp in April, 55-year-old Musa Mohammed Yusuf himself was the leader of an underground church in Yonday village, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Kismayo in Somalia. He had received instruction in the Christian faith from Salat Mberwa. (read the rest)

2.  The Fix: Morning Fix: A Sarah Palin Rebound? by Chris Cillizza

After enduring months of derision within Republican circles for her role as the party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee and her uneven performance as a national figure this year, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is experiencing something of a rebound among the D.C. chattering class in the 48 hours since the release of a very tough profile on her in Vanity Fair magazine.

In the wake of that piece — a 9,800 word opus penned by Todd Purdum — a number of operatives who worked closely with Palin during the 2008 campaign have reached out to the Fix to defend the governor. (read the rest)

3.  Big Hollywood: Lonewolf Diaries – Marriage is for Suckers and Ugly Folk by Steven Crowder

If you’ve been taking notes from such brilliant minds as Bill Maher, Cameron Diaz or ever taken a moment to observe Hollywood in the past few decades, you’d know that marriage is a dead institution. I mean, who gets married anymore (unless you’re gay)?! It’s like, “Hellooooooooooo”!

I happened to catch Cameron “My Career is Over Thanks to HD” Diaz discussing the intricacies of marriage on “Real Time with Bill Maher” this week. A lot of tinseltown jibber jabber ensued but you needn’t be bored with the self-indulgent details. Cameron basically proclaimed that she’s glad that she’d never gotten married because she “definitely would have been divorced (multiple times).”  She just needed to do what was right for her and that that was constantly changing. Maher, of course, agreed and praised Cameron in her wisdom for having learned to put herself first and foremost, before all others in her life. Marriage can’t work because you have to look out for “Numero Uno”… That’s the Hollywood way! (read the rest)

4.  New York Times: God and Mark Sanford

In his unending comments about his extramarital affair with a woman he met at a dance in Uruguay, Gov. Mark Sanford often includes spiritual references and talks of God’s will. Last week, for example, he compared himself to King David, and this week he said that God wants him to stay in office. Jon Stewart and others have ridiculed him for these statements.

But what do experts on faith and religious life think of Mr. Sanford’s use of biblical analogies, and what lessons do these references contain?

• Chuck Colson, Prison Fellowship Ministries
• Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of “The Kosher Sutra”
• Steven Waldman, Beliefnet
• La Shawn Barber, La Shawn Barber’s Corner
• Colleen Carroll Campbell, Ethics and Public Policy Center

(read the rest)

HT: LaShawn Barber

5.  Covering Iowa Politics: Fong joins GOP race for governor by James Lynch

Cedar Rapids businessman and flood recovery leader Christian Fong plans to join the race for governor this afternoon as a candidate for the Republican nomination.

The son of a Chinese immigrant who fled Chinese communism and a Midwest farm girl, Fong said he grew up living the American Dream, the Iowa Dream.

“I’ve been blessed to live the Iowa dream. Sadly today I see the dream being ripped away from future generations,” the father of three said in explaining his decision to challenge first-term Democratic Gov. Chet Culver. “The dream has to be restored. That’s why I’m running for governor.”  (read the rest)

Still thinking about Governor Mark Sanford’s meltdown, I ran across Matt’s post on the results of sin.  He had a video of Casting Crown’s song, “Slow Fade” and I thought it was apropos to his situation, but also for us all.  Because there but the grace of God go I.

“People never crumble in a day.”  That is very true.  Sanford or any man or woman who have had an affair have jumped from being happily married into the bed of another.  It’s a process.  With some it starts with pornography.  Others will develop a close relationship with a member of the opposite sex.  Some may start thinking, oh I wish my spouse could be more like him or her, etc.

You see Governor Sanford crossed the line way before he actually committed adultery.  It is reported he met this lady at an open air dance club in Uruguay.  Why was he at an open air dance club in Uruguay?  Especially without his wife?

Flirting… lingering touch on the shoulder… confiding about marital problems… it is a slow fade into adultery.

In Genesis, the LORD gives Cain a warning, “…sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it,” (Genesis 4:7, ESV).  Watch out.  It’s lurking in the shadows.  It comes in many forms.  It won’t appear in the form of an adulteress at first, but usually as a computer image or a coworker who cares.

Guys, especially, remember that we need to “Keep (or guard) your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life,” (Proverbs 4:23, ESV).  We need to put up hedges to guard against this, because that big jump into an affair is preceded by little steps.

A heroic rescue took place yesterday on the Des Moines River in downtown Des Moines.  You can read the story here.

My friend Mike draws a spiritual parallel to how followers of Christ should view evangelism.

Should stay unemployed, at least not employed by campaigns.

Steve Schmidt walking behind Senator John McCain

From yesterday’s brouhaha over Todd Purdum’s Vanity Fair hitpiece Bill Kristol outs one anonymous source:

Meanwhile, on the day Purdum’s piece hit the web (today), a journalist who had expressed suspicions in the past that elements of the McCain campaign had undercut Palin suddenly got a friendly e-mail from top McCain-Palin campaign strategist Steve Schmidt. This journalist hadn’t heard from Schmidt in months. Perhaps Steve was nervous someone would finger him for the Purdum piece. One reason people might do so is this passage in Purdum’s article: “All the while, Palin was coping not only with the crazed life of any national candidate on the road but also with the young children traveling with her. Some top aides worried about her mental state: was it possible that she was experiencing postpartum depression? (Palin’s youngest son was less than six months old.)” In fact, one aide who raised this possibility in the course of trashing Palin’s mental state to others in the McCain-Palin campaign was Steve Schmidt.

Jonathan Martin of Politico did some digging where Schmidt categorically denied Kristol’s accusation.  Another campaign aide, Randy Scheunemann, said not so fast… I witnessed it!

“Steve Schmidt has a congenital aversion to the truth,” Scheunemann said. “On two separate and distinct occasions, he speculated about about Governor Palin having post-partum depression, and on the second he threatened that if more negative publicity about the handling of Governor Palin emerged that he would leak his speculation [about post-partum depression] to the press. It was like meeting Tony Soprano.”

Schmidt replied to that basically saying “liar, liar, pants on fire.”  Then the rest of the article was about speculation about why Scheunemann would say such a thing if untrue… apparently because Schmidt tried to fire him over sharing the source of leaks within the campagin – like Nicolle Wallace or her husband Mark, etc.  Anyway if you want to read up on the whole saga have fun.

Are all campaign staff this juvenile?  I think anybody who worked for the McCain campaign, involved with this mess, should never work again in politics.  Has Schmidt ever won a race?  If this accusation made against him is true, how exactly did he think that was going to help the campaign?  With “friends” like these, the GOP doesn’t need enemies.  So I say blackball them all.  This gang couldn’t shoot straight while riding the “Straight Talk Express.”

The infighting, leaks, rumors and gossip does nothing to help the party.  If you are in the GOP and you don’t want Governor Palin to be the 2012 nominee (who knows if she’ll run), then work to present your candidate’s qualities and advance that person by way of their position and policies, not gossip and innuendos.

Apparently though attacking Palin never gets old even eight months after the campaign, and more than three years before the next one.  Andrew Sullivan is recycling debunked stories (be sure not to let him in on our secret).  Oh brother.  Gird your loins!

HT: Lisa Graas & Memeorandum

Update: Former McCain campaign staff – I’d take Moe Lane’s suggestion.

2nd Update: Mark Hemmingway (National Review Online) has emails between Kristol and Scheunemann, as well as evidence that it looks like that Scheunemann was smeared anonymously prior to the campaign’s end.  It looks like Scheunemann was loyal, Schmidt not so much.  Josh Painter points out some problems with Schmidt’s history as well and he thinks Schmidt is the leaker.   AllahPundit has it narrowed down to three.

3rd Update: Tammy Bruce asks McCain’s camp praises Sanford and trashes Palin?  HT: Conservatives 4 Palin

4th (and final… I think) Update: CBS decides they couldn’t let Vanity Fair have all the fun.  Is this what you call unbiased reporting?  It seems to be a lot of interpretation and not so much reporting of facts.

Listening to the John Gibson show in my office (via iTunes) they brought up the following story:

After days of assuring the public he was firmly in control after admitting a scandalous affair, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford detailed other encounters with his Argentine “soul mate,” dalliances with women before her, and his struggle to salvage his 20-year marriage.

Sanford, who last week used a televised news conference to throw himself on the mercy of the public, state leaders and his wife, chronicled his affair and tortured emotions in interviews with The Associated Press Monday and Tuesday. This time, he said, he wanted to “lay it all out.” (read the rest)

If you thought this man lost his mind before this, this is further proof.  Why in the world would you lay all this out to an AP reporter?  This is stuff he needs to be sharing with his pastor or marriage counselor.

I called into the show, something I never do, so if you were listening I was “Shane from Iowa.”  I didn’t get to say everything that was on my mind, but I’ll share my thoughts here.  If I were Mark Sanford’s pastor this is what I would say to him (not necessarily in this order):

• Shut up (I’d say it in a pastoral way of course), stop talking to the press, stop giving out details to people who don’t need to know details.  All you are accomplishing is embarrassing your wife and four sons.
• This woman you met in Argentina, she is not your soul mate.  Put that out of your head right now.  You made a commitment to your wife, she is your soul mate.
• Resign you need to focus on your family and marriage and you lost your moral authority to lead.  Getting out of the public spotlight will be a help for you as you seek reconciliation.
• In the interview (mentioned on the show, but not in the article above) you mention you said to your wife, “I’m trying to fall in love with you again.”  Are you in Jr. High school?  (Again, I’d be more pastoral).  You should know by now that love is a decision.  You choose to love even when you don’t “feel” like you are in love.  We all have those days, it has to be a choice.  Love is something we do, if love is nothing more than a feeling you haven’t progressed past adolescence.
• Repent – turn from this back from this sin.  Let’s call it for what it is – you turned your back on Jesus Christ.  You sinned.  This woman became an idol in your life.  You need to return back to your first love which should be Jesus, then your wife and kids.
• Repentance means you will have no further contact with this woman.  It means you will do whatever is necessary to seek reconciliation with your wife.  Beg, plead, win her back.  You certainly do not deserve it, and she will have every right to be furious with you.
• You will need to work hard at rebuilding trust with your wife.  Turn in your passport.  Let her check your email and cell phone records.  Let her know your complete schedule, etc.
• Make sure you are in an accountability group, and are seeking individual counseling and then couples’ counseling.
• Put up hedges in your life to avoid this temptation again.  You obviously crossed the line way before you had sex.

If he refuses to repent, seek reconciliation, counseling and accountability then he choose to end the marriage, not Jenny Sanford.  While she seems like she is willing to reconcile, and I commend her for how she has handled this, she shouldn’t be a doormat either.

Wish I had a chance to say all of that on the radio today, but there you go.  Still continue to pray for the Sanford family.

Lisa emailed me about this article in the NY Daily News that is promoting this article in Vanity Fair, and it stars our “favorite” anonymous sources – disgruntled McCain staffers who love to trash Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.  You would think that they could come up with something new at least?

“She’s a diva…”  Right, diva’s always shop at Wal-Mart and resale shops.  “She’s a whackjob.”  No whoever was responsible for running the McCain campaign qualifies as a “whackjob.”  Yada, yada.  At least be man (or woman) enough to own your statements.

Joseph Russo has a good rebuttal to this, and Josh Painter makes some observations as to whose former staffers might be behind this and why.  I’ll give  you two clues.  He was a former governor and his name is a piece of sports equipment.  Not that he or his campaign has ever lied before.

Anyway folks, old anklebiting, no news here.

Update: Here’s a positive (non-political) interview with Sarah Palin out today by Runner’s World.  Great article, but man I feel lazy.

John MacArthur on being a slave for Christ.

Full message here.

1.  The Jungle Hut: Understanding Latin American Politics by Rita Vernoy

It’s complicated.

It is complicated by the culture and the history. All of the Latin American countries have a kind of democracy…most of the time. In spite of the independence each country has won from their past revolutions, there seems to be no method yet which has managed to provide a stable working model for these nations.

The Latin countries are much like a pendulum, swinging first to the right, then to the left. One feels blessed to live in the right place at the right time and live with freedom. If born a few years earlier or later, you will likely find yourself living under a dictatorship. The swing of the pendulum decides, chaos or peace. (read the rest)

2.  Stuff Christians Like: #569. The sermon illustration score card

As a pastor’s kid I have listened to roughly 87 million sermon illustrations. More than that, I’ve actually contributed to several, with the nonsense I got into as a child. And that’s fine with me, because my dad would pay us a dollar for every time he name dropped me and my siblings in one of his sermons. (read the rest)

3.  Scriptorium Daily: Holy Holy Holy by Fred Sanders

All Christians believe in the Trinity, but some Christians believe in the Trinity better than others. There are some Bible-believing Christians who have all the basic biblical materials for trinitarian theology stored in their minds, but who have never assembled those materials to make the doctrine of the Trinity. They believe there is only one God, and they believe that Jesus is God, that the Father who sent him is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. They also know that the Father isn’t the same person as the Son, and that the Son and the Spirit aren’t interchangeable. The only way to put all those biblical facts together is with the doctrine of the Trinity: that the one God eternally exists in three persons. The Trinity is a kind of summary formula for a lot of Biblical information. (read the rest)

4.  World Magazine: The Crutch of Prosperity by Tony Woodlief

I heard a very wise man of God talk about abundance. Don’t think, he admonished, that you have a nice home and fancy clothes because you work hard; there are plenty of people who work hard and have very little. Everything good is a blessing from God, he observed, but don’t conclude from your more abundant blessings that you have more than others because you are more faithful. You have these things, he said, because you couldn’t endure the poverty other Christians have faced around the world and throughout history. You have been appointed this time and prosperity not because of your strength, but because of your weakness. (read the rest)

5.  Evangelical Outpost: The Ensured Family Health and Disease Prevention Act by Robin Dembroff

President Obama:

Finally we have a President that wants to actually protect wellness of citizens and immigrants. I am pleased to see your progress towards nationalized health care despite harsh criticism. Much of this criticism noticeably concerns money. What kind of person would put money above life?

You and I know that no one should have to die.

Yet even aside from that, money does not need to be a point of contention. There is a simple solution: Make us live in a healthier way through regulation and necessary coercion. Or, to put it in PR terms, ‘encourage’ wholesome living through ‘health standards’. (read the rest)